Dirty Paws
by MusesatMidnight
Summary: Bilbo Baggins is entirely respectable. Nothing unexpected ever happens to him. Well apart from that time nearly 20 years ago when a small human child was on his doorstep late at night. And the fact that she visits him every few weeks at night. Apart from that, nothing unexpected ever happens...
1. Prologue In which our tale begins

**A/N:** If you are here after reading my LOTR fic 'Bargaining with Death' then it's lovely to see you! If you have decided to read this because I managed to make my summary look vaguely interesing then it is lovely to meet any newcomers!

**Disclaimer:** This will be the only disclaimer regarding The Hobbit; I do not own The Hobbit or any of Tolkien's works. Nor do I own the rights and genius of Peter Jackson. Anything you do not recognise is mine so please don't steal.

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Prologue- In which our tale begins…

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The late summer night was hot and humid despite the first signs of autumn. Trees were starting to show signs of leaves reddening and the crops were almost ready to be harvested. Typically the weather would begin to turn cooler with strong breezes creeping over the land from the sea. But tonight there was no breeze to be found at all. The doors and windows of the Hobbit hole had been flung wide open in an attempt to beckon any passing wisp of wind in. The trees, grasses and plants all remained eerily still on the night landscape of The Shire.

Above the dark sky was clear of any rain clouds and the stars shone brightly in the canvas of midnight blue and the Hobbit who had remained wide awake due to the almost insufferable heat could be found sitting on his bench, outside the Hobbit hole, pipe in hand and gazing up at the stars.

This particular Hobbit should be familiar for it was one Bilbo Baggins; owner of Bag End and the Hobbit who had gone gallivanting into the wild in the company of thirteen dwarves and a most meddlesome wizard. Bilbo Baggins, despite his adventures, was still a Hobbit who behaved with decorum, managed his home and relatives and dressed impeccably. On this hot, sticky and all together bothersome summer night our Hobbit was not dressed to impress.

Shirt unbuttoned three times from the collar, no waistcoat and his hair all ruffled and disarrayed; he was quite content to sit on his porch and smoke his Old Toby. Besides if there were any Hobbits awake and strolling around Bag Lane at this hour, then they would only put his eccentric ways down to his past history; 'Mad Baggins' they called him and his current appearance would only add to that title.

Chuckling to himself at the thought of his disgruntled relatives bemoaning his lack of proper attire Bilbo almost missed the footsteps within Bag End that were tentatively creeping toward the front door. Ceasing his laughter Bilbo puffed on his pipe and waited for the young Hobbit who was peering round the door frame to speak.

Teddy clutched in hand the fauntling crept from the house his hairy bare, feet not quite silent on the smooth, cool-ish paving slabs. Looking down from the stars Bilbo turned his attention to the timid and wide, blue-eyed Hobbit child who was gazing up at him.

"Frodo, my lad. You should be in bed, asleep." He frowned down in mock disapproval and was rewarded with a sheepish grin.

"Can't sleep Uncle. It's too hot." Indeed the fauntling had removed his pyjama top and was currently clothed in only a pair of short style pyjama bottoms which were of the most thin and worn fabric Bilbo could find. After adopting the young Baggins there had been no time to go and purchase or order more clothes for Frodo.

Bilbo had collected Frodo from Brandy Hall and not a moment after they had stepped from the threshold then the pair of Baggins' had been assaulted and berated by the Sackville-Baggins. Both Lobelia and Otho were fuming at Bilbo's adoption of the orphaned Frodo, the chances of them now receiving Bag End when Bilbo died (or went off on an adventure from which he didn't return) were now very slim and so the angry married couple had stormed over to Brandy Hall to prevent the adoption.

Arriving too late they had settled instead for making discriminatory remarks about Bilbo and how he wasn't suitable to be bringing up a young child. The final straw for Bilbo Baggins however had been when the fuming Hobbits had made disparaging comments about the newly orphaned Frodo's parents. Their comments about Bilbo ran off his back like water off a duck, but loudly stating that Frodo's parents had been fools to go messing about in a boat and that they hadn't been suitable parents had caused poor Frodo to hide his head in the crook of his uncle's neck. The soft tears dripping onto Bilbo's neck had been the final blow and Bilbo had quickly brought the Sackville-Baggins down a peg or two.

Bilbo had picked up many skills on his journey to Erebor and he certainly knew how to knock down pompous and arrogant fools. The Sackville-Baggins' were no match for Bilbo who had gone up against stubborn dwarves and they had retreated accompanied by boo's and hisses from the watching Brandybuck family.

The interruption from the insufferable Hobbits had caused Frodo to become very upset and incredibly shy. Deciding that shopping could wait until tomorrow, Bilbo had carried the still tearful fauntling up to Bag End with his meagre possessions being trundled up in a wheelbarrow. The afternoon had been spent with Frodo following Bilbo round Bag End as the once bachelor Hobbit made preparations for Frodo's integration into his life.

Anything particularly dangerous had been demonstrated to the young Hobbit, Bilbo didn't believe in hiding things from Frodo; it was far better to show him a dangerous item and explain why he couldn't touch or use it than to hide it and then have a near-death experience later when Frodo uncovered it.

One room in the house in particular had piqued Frodo's interest after Bilbo had shown it to the faunt. A basic bedroom with a large almost human-sized mattress on the floor, a chest of drawers and a small bookcase but what had sparked interest and life in Frodo had been the hairs that spotted the floor. Smooth and short hairs that sparkled brown, white and black. There had also been the spear that was propped up against a wall, a knife and the female hairbrush that lay on top of the dresser and finally a soft toy that was made of white rabbit fur in the form of a wolf with a black crescent moon on its forehead.

Bilbo had said little about this room only that Frodo should not go in it and that he definitely shouldn't play with the spear or knife. The dark curly-haired fauntling had nodded seriously and asked no questions but Bilbo had seen the curiosity burning in his eyes. All through the rest of the afternoon Frodo's mouth had opened as if poised to ask a burning question, but then he had thought better of it and closed his lips once more.

Curiosity in a young Hobbit was not uncommon and Bilbo had no desire to quench Frodo's thirst for knowledge. Despite the boy only being 11 years old he had shown great interest in the many artefacts which littered Bag End and indeed he had asked questions about Bilbo's reputation.

After tea however the curiosity had been replaced with steady and repetitive yawns and Bilbo had decided it was bedtime for the young Hobbit. Examining the faunt's sleepwear Bilbo had been disgruntled to discover that the clothes within Frodo's trunk had been either winter clothes or ones that were at least two sizes too small. Living in Brandy Hall with its various young faunts; it was almost no surprise that the orphan Baggins' clothes had been overlooked, as many of the clothes that covered the young Tooks and Brandybucks residing in the Hall were second hand or at least until the faunts stopped growing so quickly.

Bilbo had gone to his storage room and rummaged through a couple of trunks until he had found the last of his old tween clothes. Despite being several years old now the clothes were still in good condition but most of all they were thin and light after being worn for several years the fabric had become soft and smooth, a blessing on this warm summer night.

After taking a pair of scissors to both the pyjama arms and legs Bilbo had fashioned some crude sleepwear. Frodo had dressed himself in the mutilated clothes without fuss and then crawled up onto the bed, his teddy-bear clutched securely in his arms.

Sleep had eluded both Baggins that night however and thus the pair found themselves outside Bag End on a warm summer night.

"Uncle Bilbo." Frodo began and then stopped. Bilbo sensed that he was about to be asked a serious question and decided to sit Frodo up on the bench next to him. Picking up the small Hobbit child around the middle, he lifted him and then sat him on the cushion next to him.

Wriggling around a bit Frodo made himself comfortable and placed his stuffed bear in his lap and then turned his serious blue eyes upon his uncle once more.

"What is it you want to ask dear Frodo? I'm sure I can answer or give you some response." Bilbo put out his pipe and placed it gently on the ground whilst he waited for Frodo to form his question.

"Why do you have a room for a female in Bag End? It isn't for a wife, nor is it for your mother unless your mother slept on the floor, but you said your mother slept in the room next to yours so it can't be your mother's room. So why do you have a room with a mattress for a human, a spear and a toy wolf in it?" Frodo blurted out the question that had been plaguing him all afternoon and then looked steadfastly at Bilbo waiting for an answer.

Letting out a strong, loud laugh Bilbo pondered his answer.

"Frodo. You know how I went on an adventure a few years ago?" Frodo nodded eagerly after all everyone west of Bree knew how Mad Baggins had disappeared for over a year and then returned with a chest of treasure.

"Well, I went on a quest to a place far in the East, to reclaim a mountain that belonged to a Dwarf King and his people. But I was not the only person who went on this journey from the west. In fact the answer to your question begins several years before I left the Shire. It began when my mother and I were visited by a strange creature one Spring night. That creature then became very important to my mother and I but it never visited during the day."

Forgetting all about the heat and sticky humidity of the night Frodo scrambled closer to his Uncle and waited.

"Would you tell me the story Uncle Bilbo? I shan't sleep tonight and if you make me go in now I shall have so many questions and my mind won't let me sleep. So please Uncle Bilbo? Tell me about your quest and the strange creature that uses the room down the hall?" A soft whine had crept into Frodo's voice and Bilbo did not have the heart to refuse.

"Well, my dear Frodo, it all began one Spring night. It had been an ordinary day for my mother and I and we had just finished our supper when we heard a strange noise from outside. That was when Kiyiya; The Forest Child, Snow Maid, Feral Child and Wolf Princess of the Ithil Draug Tylwythau first appeared in my life…"

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Please Review and let me know what you thought! I'm equally nervous and excited about this foray into The Hobbit universe!

Ryua


	2. Chapter 1 Unexpected Meetings

**A/N**: First Chapter! Here we go!

"Common Tongue Speech"  
_'Wolf Speech'_  
_Memory/Dream_  
**Flashback**

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**Chapter 1**

**Unexpected Meetings**

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_Golden grasses covered the plain as far as the eye could see and one assumed beyond the horizon. The vast moorland was dotted with bushes of gorse and heather and the sweet scent of the plants filled the warm summer air._

_A small girl clothed only in a light brown dress and barefoot trotted through the fields. Tumultuous black locks curled and writhed around her face. As she walked the sound of wood clacking could be heard and on closer inspection one could see the braids that littered the corkscrew curls; some thick and some thin the braids were woven in different styles and some had a variety of beads in ranging from vivid reds to more subdued blues._

_The beads were of various sizes and some were plain colours, some the natural wood pattern and others had carvings etched into their surfaces; animals and flowers were fashioned on some of the largest beads but the most eye-catching braid of all was at the front of the girl's head. This single braid had only four beads in it; one the colour of gold with a resplendent sun carved into the warm wood, another pale white with a crescent moon painted onto its surface in dark blue lines and the third shimmered in the sun sparkling slivers of precious stones stuck to the surface of the black wood. The final bead was not made of wood at all and was instead a pale silvery-white colour and seemed to gleam with an ethereal quality._

_As the little girl walked alone over the plains she kept glancing over her shoulder at a tall pillar of black smoke. It had been mere hours since the attack on her village and she could still hear the screams of the townspeople as they had been cut down as they fled from the wild men. Her mother had grabbed her from their house and begun to run, the little girl's father had been using axe and knives to fight off the attackers but his carpenter's tools were not an equal match for the pale and sallow-faced man who had stepped through a burning building._

_A few movements of his blade and the girl's father lay bleeding in the sandy dirt. Blinking back tears the little girl rubbed emerald eyes furiously removing any trace of sorrow._

_Seeing her husband fall the woman had run away from the tall pale man. Running into the long grasses her mother had discarded her shoes and put the little girl on her back. As she ran the woman's body began to morph until where the adult human had been was a great brown bear with a small girl clinging to her back._

_The bear had run for several minutes before realising that the pale-faced man with the cruel dark blue eyes and sneering purple lips was not giving up his chase. Sliding to a stop the bear dropped down and the little girl slid from her mother's back. Nuzzling the young girl the bear had then shoved the child away from her._

_Disoriented and bewildered the girl had stepped towards her mother but been fended off when a great paw swept at her. Finally receiving the message the dark-haired girl had begun to run her thick mass of her bouncing behind her and as she disappeared into the tall grasses she turned to see her mother charging at the tall man._

_Tears were now streaming down the small girl's face and she let out a whine and a whimpering sob as her grief consumed her. Falling down to the ground she sat curled in a ball for many hours until the light began to fade from the sky._

_A sudden noise caused the tired and sorrow-filled child to sit up and look over the grass. Despite the fading light she could see that something large was coming towards her. It was a distance away but the little girl could see that what or whoever it was, was covering the ground quite quickly and she had no idea whether they were friend or foe._  
_The toddler dropped down into the grass following the instinct that had led her in this direction. Every time she had tried to deviate away towards what she had thought were villages or houses her body refused to co-operate and drove her to come out to the middle of the plains where there was no sight of civilisation. Eventually she had stopped resisting the voice in her head that was guiding her and placed her faith in it. That was until her guide suddenly stopped and this new event began to unfold._

_From her place below the grasses the raven-haired toddler could just make out the creature coming towards her as the grass shifted in the breeze. A giant wolf was coming towards her, bigger than a horse and standing at 13 feet in the shoulder with large paws tipped with black claws which landed almost soundlessly on the ground. Silver fur covered this massive creature save for the tips of its ears and tail which were blacker than human's hair._

_Finally the giant wolf came to a stop a metre or so in front of the toddler who still sat in the grass. Gold eyes stared out of a kind but stern face at the human child and pierced straight into the emerald orbs that seemed fae-like as if belonging to a changeling child. Wolf and child stared into each other's souls and finally the giant wolf spoke aloud:_

_"Follow."_

_With that lone word the giant wolf turned and began to slowly pad northwards, back over the plains it had traversed, towards the mountains that were a faint smudge on the horizon. After several paces it stopped and looked over its shoulder back towards the still sitting human child._

_A few seconds of silence passed between the two beings once more and then the little girl scrambled to her feet and tottered after the giant wolf. Once the toddler had caught up the wolf continued on with the raven-haired child scampering along in front of her…_

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Startling awake Kiyiya panted as the vivid dream began to fade from her mind. Reaching out to either side of her the human woman found the soft fur of her brother and sister who had sandwiched the human between them. Menewa's fur was smooth and silky and when she discovered tears trickling down her face Kiyiya buried her face into her brother's red and brown fur.

She had not dreamed of the day Waya had found her in many years, not since she could still be considered a pup in wolf terms. That day had not been forgotten but Kiyiya still didn't like to think of the life she had lost before she was found.

Kiyiya had found a place where she belonged, a new family who appreciated her and were extraordinary. Her new mother was the giant wolf who had travelled to find her all those years ago. Waya, for that was the giant silver wolf's name, had felt something within her telling her to travel south to the plains and having lived for many years as the Alpha of the Packs the Wolf Queen had gotten used to trusting her instincts.

It had taken the giant silver wolf a mere two days travel to find Kiyiya and the Wolf Queen had been compelled to take in the furless human child, who had the soul of an animal, and raise her like her own.  
Waya had then travelled back with Kiyaya, a journey which took them four days even with the toddler riding on Waya's back for long periods of time, but then they had reached the caves that the wolf called home.

Kiyiya had soon fitted into the hierarchy of the Full Moon Wolf Pack and seemed to grieve little for her old human life. As she saw it Kiyiya had lost a mother and father, but gained an entirely new family. Waya's mate Enapay had quickly taken to the toddler and soon became her main babysitter, the young child enjoying playing with the slightly smaller russet-coloured wolf.  
The two Beta wolves and the Omega of the pack ignored the human child mostly and Kiyiya made sure to stay well clear of them as they weren't particularly tolerant of her antics or her innate clumsiness that she had yet to grow out of.

Kiyiya had also gained siblings with her new family; three brothers and a sister. Maska, Hakan and Garou were her three older brothers and along with her sister Etu, Kiyiya never lacked for playmates despite the wolves being at least four times her size and nearly twice her age. The wolves never spoke however and any thought process that had contained the ability for her to recognise human words was soon lost and replaced by wolf language.

Worry not dear reader, Waya had indeed spoken to Kiyiya with a human tongue but the Wolf Queen has only three words to use in her lifetime. Waya and the Full Moon Pack were descendants of Huan the wolfhound of the Valar who lived many centuries before and his gift of speech was passed down to Waya and Garou but with a limitation of three words only so they conversed in their natural tongue. Kiyiya did not miss the language of Men and took to Wolf speech quickly and was soon able to argue with her siblings.

By the time she was seven the human child had travelled all over the Full Moon Pack's territory and seen many new landscapes and creatures. The territory stretched over and included all the land between Ice Bay, Weathertop, The Shire, The Grey Havens and to the Northern reaches of the Blue Mountains.

Waya had birthed two litters after finding Kiyiya in the years that the human child grew and lived with the pack. The first litter that Kiyiya was to meet was the litter in which Menewa and Kajika had been born.

The eldest pup from the second of Waya's litters, named Cheveyo, was blind in one eye and spent most of his time near the cave afraid to venture into the world. Hania and Kagemusha the two middle pups were not fond of Kiyiya and Hania in particular spent many hours hiding from Kiyiya in the hopes that the human child would receive a scolding from Waya.

Whilst Kiyiya loved all her siblings she had a particular soft spot for the two youngest pups in the second litter. Menewa and Kajika were almost identical in looks; both having amber eyes and fur that was a blend of browns, reds and black the only differentiating feature was that Kajika was smaller than Menewa. The two pups and Kiyiya soon became inseparable and as they grew and became stronger the three became the best hunter's and tracker's in the pack and often ventured further from the safety of the pack, exploring Middle Earth.

It was one such exploration that had led to the introduction of Kiyiya to a young Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins.

Whilst Kiyiya lay between her two closest siblings thinking about past events she did not notice the youngest wolf pup sneaking up to pounce on her. Honiahaka was the youngest wolf in the Ithil Draug Tylwythau and was the runt of Waya's third and final litter. Black fur coated her entire body and the only part that could be seen in the dim light were her gleaming gold eyes filled with excitement and mischief.

When the pups were born they were roughly the size of large adult dogs, in their teen years they would continue growing to become the size of horses and then at the point it depended on each pup how much bigger they grew. Waya was the largest of all the Giant Wolves in Middle Earth with most of her offspring taking after her stature save for Honiahaka who had not grown at all.

Another oddity that differentiated the small pup from her two male litter siblings: Akiyama and Kiyoshi, was the fact that Honiahaka could speak in human tongue. Indeed the little pup had inherited Huan's gift but Honiahaka's gift allowed her to speak in the Common tongue all the time. The bi-lingual pup flowed between Wolf and Common speech all the time and the only one who could truly converse with the exuberant pup was Kiyiya.

Honiahaka slinked closer to the sleeping trio of wolves and human and leapt over Kajika's back to land on Kiyiya. The human rolled over and pinned Honiahaka to the ground in shock.

"Let me go Kiyiya!" Honiahaka yelped as she squirmed beneath the woman. The pup's wriggling did little to shift the 20 year old or so woman who stared down at her little sister with amused emerald eyes.

_'Honey go back to sleep. It's not dawn yet._' Kajika whined as she draped a large paw over her eyes and rolled onto her front to move away from the futilely struggling pup.

"What are you trying to do Honey?" Kiyiya whispered into her siblings ear and then gave it a sharp nip. As the pup yelped the human leapt off her sibling and darted off into the forest with the runt giving chase.

"Kiyiya! You said we could visit Bilbo today! And it's nearly dawn! So wake up Menewa and Kajika and let's go!" Honiahaka's nickname of Honey did not apply in the mornings. The little pup was a terror most of the time but especially in the morning. Whilst the pack tended to cover ground quickly and quietly since the birth of Honey it took longer as the sweet little pup would want to be up and moving before dawn and then during the day would get more and more excited as they travelled through Middle Earth.

For the rest of the pack however Honey's early morning awakenings were not appreciated as the wolves liked to sleep until a few hours after dawn. Knowing this Kiyiya led her excited sister deeper into the Chetwood and once they were far enough from the pack to make noise engaged the pup in a play fight.

As the two sisters tumbled and rolled on the forest floor the light of day began to break over the tree tops and the sun began to slip down to caress the fallen leaves. The spring leaves were various shades of green and when Honey had grown tired of the play fight and decided to track a rabbit instead, Kiyiya lay on her back and stared up at the leafy branches.

Each leaf was shining or shimmering with sunlight and some of the thinner leaves were thick with dewdrops. A soft misty rainfall had coated the land the previous night but it did not trouble the wolves as they were used to the weather. For Kiyiya the rain was slightly more troublesome but she simply put on the leather cloak that Belladonna Baggins had gifted to her so many years ago.

The inside of the cloak was lined with soft rabbit fur of different shades and textures. The pelts had been from rabbits that Kiyiya had given to the two Hobbits over the years and after she had skinned them Belladonna had kept them until she had enough to create a soft rabbit skin cloak. The female Hobbit had purchased some treated green leather from the market and then stitched both pelts and leather together until there was a sizeable cloak with a hood for Kiyiya.

Lying on her cloak Kiyiya slipped in and out of sleep, dozing in the warm sunlight that spilled through the trees and by the time the sun had risen a quarter of the way into the sky, the human woman was surrounded by forest animals. Rabbits, voles, mice and foxes all sat around her slumbering form and revelled in being close to the Forest Child and guarded her dreams.

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Whilst Kiyiya was slumbering in the Chetwood however Bilbo Baggins had woken and begun to prepare his Hobbit hole for her arrival. Since the human and the Hobbit had met those ten years ago, the woman had visited he and his mother every few weeks. In fact once Kiyiya had learnt to speak in the Common Tongue once more the curly-haired hobbit and raven-haired girl had managed to work out a schedule of some sort. Every two weeks Kiyiya and her siblings would slip into the Shire on the night of the 14th day since her last visit.

The Wolf Princess and her siblings always came at night to reduce the risk of being seen by Bilbo's nosy neighbours, in particular the Sackville-Baggins who would jump on any chase to try and destroy Bilbo's reputation.

Despite Kiyiya's care and caution over the past few years the girl and her lupine companions had been spotted a number of times by Men and Hobbits as she travelled through the Shire and into Hobbiton. After being seen for the fifth or sixth time a rumour had begun to circulate through Hobbiton and even travelled all the way to Bree. Tales of a young girl with hair as black as a raven's wing with wooden beads that clacked and clicked against each other, riding on a great wolf with another wolf at her command. They roamed the woods and hills of the Shire and looked for little fauntlings who had not listened to their mother's warnings of leaving the safety of Hobbiton.

Other rumours were more kind and declared the girl as the Wolf Princess and said that she protected the borders of the Shire. Indeed these rumours overtook the others when there were sightings of wolves near the Brandywine River one winter. All the Hobbits feared another Fell Winter, and one night when the ice had gotten particularly thick and a small group of Hobbits who had got caught out in the foul weather, watched as the wolves began to try and cross. Before the feral white wolves could fully cross and attack the Hobbits, the Wolf Princess had ridden up on her giant wolf with the second smaller wolf following and the small white wolves had turned to face their new foe.

The group of Took Hobbits, for of course it would be Tooks who ignored the weather to go adventuring, watched in awe as the human girl dismounted the amber-eyed wolf and padded on bare-feet across the frozen water until she stood between the wolves and the Hobbits. Snarls and growls had filled the air and indeed the human had wrestled with the alpha male of the pack and forced him to submit, the wolves had retreated when the human girl told them too.

The Tooks who sometimes thought the vision had been but a figment of their imagination had hurried home and the next day gone around Hobbiton telling tales of how the Wolf Princess, Forest Child, Snow Maid had saved them all from the wolves.

Chuckling to himself Bilbo swept some dried mud from his Hobbit hole. If only the other Hobbits knew that the Wolf Princess was a frequent visitor of Mad Baggins who lived in Bag End. He thought that some of the more respectable Hobbits might die of shock.

After dusting and sweeping the floors Bilbo decided it was time for elevensies. A pot of tea and several biscuits later Bilbo trotted out of his Hobbit hole to have a smoke on his pipe. The morning sky was clear and bright with only a few puffy clouds to mar the ever-stretching blue.

As Bilbo sat and reminisced about his first meeting with Kiyiya and her siblings, the Hobbit was blissfully unaware of the wizard making his way up Bag Lane towards the front gate of Bag End.

* * *

Gandalf the Grey had missed the Shire with its queer but endearing inhabitants. It had been many years since the wizard had visited this part of Middle Earth and he was looking for a Hobbit to share in an adventure. One Hobbit had sprung to mind, Belladonna Baggins nee. Took, but after enquiring as to her whereabouts Gandalf had learned that his dear friend had passed away.

Upset and disappointed for Gandalf had all but forgotten the shorter lifespans of Hobbits and was sad to discover that his favourite Hobbit to date had died. He had however been told that her son Bilbo Baggins was still living in Bag End. After thinking for several minutes the wizard remembered a small fauntling running out of the door and then returning later that day covered in mud with small twigs in his hair having gone looking for elves.

Maybe Bilbo Baggins would be interested in an adventure.

Walking up Bag Lane Gandalf saw Bag End come into view. It was just as he remembered although the fence looked new. It had been a set of white posts with sharp points at the top of each staff now however plain light wood set of rounded posts with a weather worn gate had taken its place.

The flowers bloomed in front of the house and the scent of pipeweed mingled with the floral scent. Peering out from under the brim of his hat Gandalf saw a rather skinny (in comparison to other Hobbits) Hobbit smoking a pipe with his eyes shut. The well-tailored waistcoat sat snugly against the little man's body and showed that whilst he was still plump he was considerably thinner and more lithe than his neighbours.

Frowning Gandalf decided it was time to test Bilbo.

"Good Morning."

* * *

"Looking for someone to share in an adventure." The wizard said and Bilbo felt his mouth drop open in shock.

Looking for a Hobbit for an adventure, in the Shire, and he had come to Bag End! Had any of his neighbours seen Kiyiya and Honey coming and going from Bag End?! After all why else would Gandalf the Grey single out Bilbo Baggins as the Hobbit to go on an adventure.

Bilbo was entirely respectable… Most of the time. The occasions where Kiyiya and her siblings visited were when Bilbo disappeared from his Hobbit hole for a couple of days. The Hobbit would join the wolves on walks through the countryside, camping under the stars and occasionally making their way to Bree where Kiyiya and Bilbo, under the watchful eye of Honey, would explore the market and occasionally come away with purchases.

Those were the only times Bilbo did not act like a respectable Hobbit. But now he had no time for an adventure. He had visitors coming later that night. And besides, with his adventures and trips with the wolf pack Bilbo knew he would be safe. Going away with a wizard was only bound to be trouble.

"No adventures here thank you." Bilbo quickly spoke and scampered back up to his front door. He still had to make something for supper for when Kiyiya and Honey arrived. The small wolf was allowed in Bag End because she was small enough to fit in the door. Kajika and Menewa however would sleep under the tree on top of Bag End.

"Try over the water." Bilbo squeaked and slammed his door shut. Hiding himself round the corner Bilbo could pretend that he was merely hiding from his bothersome relatives. Scratching and scraping sounds on his newly painted front door however had the Hobbit peering nervously out the window. Gandalf's face peered in and Bilbo scurried further into his hole.

"Now is not the time for adventures. I have dear visitors arriving this evening. I have quite enough excitement thank you very much and it comes in the most engaging form of Kiyiya and her siblings. Now, what should I cook for Kiyiya this evening?"

Bilbo trotted into his kitchen, quite determined to put the wizard and his foolish talk of quests from his mind. The Hobbit had quite enough to do thank you very much, including feeding a young wolf pup…

* * *

Whilst Bilbo was panicking and refusing adventures (bothersome things that they were), Kiyiya, Menewa, Kajika and Honey were making their way through Chetwood towards the Old Forest. Waya had given permission for her four offspring to part from the pack. Ever since Kiyiya's initial meeting with Bilbo Baggins the Alpha Female had been unable to refuse the human pup permission to see the Hobbit.

The silver wolf knew that Kiyiya would not always stay with Ithil Draug Tylwythau and would eventually have to join the world of Men, Dwarfs and Elves. Interaction with the Hobbit only provided Kiyiya a chance to learn how to act in society and so Waya could not refuse her furless pup.

As the quartet padded through the Old Forest they were careful to avoid any elves or Rangers that may have been traveling within the trees. The Elves and Rangers knew of the Giant Wolves of course, it was hard to not see the giant paw prints that were left after they had passed through. The Rangers knew that the Ithil Draug Tylwythau would not do any harm to humans, Elves or Dwarfs. Indeed the Rangers often asked Waya for aid in controlling the Gundabad orcs who ventured down into the plains of Arnor. The wolves were only too happy to oblige.

Kiyiya rode on the back of Menewa as they travelled. Ever since Menewa had grown large enough to carry her, the human had used her younger brother as her steed and the russet-coloured male wolf had never complained. Kajika was smaller than her brother but disliked carrying her human sister; the she-wolf always worried that if they were attacked she would not be able to protect her more mortal furless sibling. The she-wolf was quite content to watch over Honey who scampered and bounded through the forest ahead of them.

Kiyiya could still remember the first time she had met Bilbo Baggins and she had travelled through the Old Forest on the same path she was currently using ten years prior.

******Waya had led the pack back down from Ice Bay because she had sensed another wolf wandering the wilderness near Weathertop. As they had passed down through the hills of Evendim Waya had given permission for the pack to split in two: One group would accompany her to Weathertop to confront the nomad who had been howling for the last few days and the other group would travel down through the Shire and wait for the others to return in the Old Forest.

Kiyiya was thoroughly excited, for the last two years they had passed through the Shire but she had never been given the chance to sneak away and observe the little people that looked like her. Her older sister Etu had always been the one to carry her before but now that Kiyiya's littermates Menewa and Kajika had grown bigger they were able to carry her now and that meant adventure.

On the southern shore of Lake Evendim the pack split: Waya taking the two betas and Hakan, Maska and Garou with her, leaving Enapay and Etu in charge of the pups with the Omega Monaco to help babysit.

Enapay kept the young pups near the shores of Lake Evendim for a couple of days as it would take Waya at least a day and a half to travel to Weathertop and he had no idea how long the nomad would need to speak to the High Alpha. It was not the first time the nomads had ventured into their territory, most of the time they wished to speak with Waya owing to her being the oldest wolf left in Middle Earth and because she was the descendant of Huan. One time one of the nomads had come with the wizard Radagast.

The wizard had been intrigued by Kiyiya who had been riding on Etu's back and had made several attempts to go to the small furless pup but had been warned away by growls from Etu and Garou.  
Rhadagast had eventually gotten the message and after discussing events in Middle Earth, in particular the movement of the other three packs in Middle Earth and Warg sightings, had gone on his merry way with the Nomad.

Enapay was glad Kiyiya hadn't demanded to go with her mother but the fact that she hadn't demanded to be allowed to go, meant that the tricky hairless pup had some plot in mind. By the end of the second day Kiyiya, Menewa and Kajika had all been thoroughly excited to be moving down to the Shire and by the time they moved off on the third day Enapay was hard pressed to keep the trio from running off ahead.

The Shire wasn't dangerous to the wolves but they had always made sure the little people that lived there didn't see the wolf pack. A pack of giant wolves was disconcerting to everybody but wizards and elves and the pack had no desire for confrontation with Men or the little people.

They reached the Old Forest on the eve of the third day and after catching and eating a few deer, keeping the deer population down, the pack settled into the woods for a long sleep. With full bellies and sated hunger the pack all drifted off to sleep save for Menewa, Kajika and Kiyiya.

The three young pups slinked away from their father and siblings and quietly made their way out of the Old Forest. Once they were free of the edges of the forest Kiyiya swiftly swung herself up onto Menewa and the two wolves set off at a steady pace crossing the Brandywine River with ease and entered into the East Farthing. From there they kept a steady pace and journeyed on in little under an hour into the West Farthing and Hobbiton.

And it is here, most loyal reader that our story began. A chance meeting on a spring night when a little girl and her brethren met a Halfling and his mother.

_'Kiyiya, where are exactly are you taking us? Papa won't be pleased if he wakes and we're missing! We should go back now!'_ Kajika whined as the trio ventured further into the boundaries of the Shire, they had been running for an hour or so now and Kajika wanted to go to sleep.

_'Hush, Kaji. We're almost there, the place where the little people live is just ahead. Besides once we get there and I've seen one again we can rest and then go back to Papa. Now keep up, Menewa is beating you easily!'_ The dirty child answered the young she-wolf fluently with yips and growls and as the child called her sister slow she could feel her brother rumbling with laughter beneath her.

Menewa slowed down to a walk as the trio came across a small pathway on the ground. Just before the wolves could step onto it they both came to a stop, nervous about venturing near the funny creatures without the protection of their parents. Kiyiya had no such doubts and she slipped off her brother's back and landed lightly on the paved road, crouching down low as she looked down the pathway.

After scenting the air, looking and listening there was no sign of anybody on the pathway and indeed the night was still and silent but there was a sense of peace that filled the small child.

_'Come on Kaji, Mene. We don't have long to look. And I want to see everything, especially in case Mother finds out and never lets me near the little people again!'_ With that the girl began to tread along the pathway her feet making no noise on the stones and she could soon hear Menewa and Kajika's paws falling in behind her: every now and again their claws would click on the ground or they would knock an errant stone. Being only two springs old the pair had yet to master the art of walking slowly. It didn't help that Menewa seemed to be having a permanent growth spurt and Kajika's paws seemed too big for her small body.

The trio made their way down the path and soon it dipped down between two small rises and Kiyiya knew that once they rounded the corner she would be in the village of the little people. Pausing at the edge of the bend the little girl took in a few calming breaths; her excitement was almost overwhelming after all she had waited for several years to be able to go and see the little people's homes once more.

_'Kiyiya? Have you changed your mind?'_ Menewa rumbled from behind her and walked forward dropping his head down over her shoulder and the human girl reached up and began stroking the side of his face.

_'No. I still want to see. I'm just very excited. Mother never let me go near the little people, nor in fact near anyone. The strange wizard a few years ago kept trying to come and talk to me but Mother and the others wouldn't let him. Etu said it was because Mother was worried the smelly wizard would try and take me away from the pack. But I don't think the little people will want to take me away.'  
_  
Steeling herself the girl padded round the corner and let out a soft breath at the sight of the place she had been dreaming of many years. Before her lay the village of the small people: gardens with flowers and vegetables growing healthily filled her eyes and nose and she could see smoke rising from little chimneys of the houses in the ground, the new wonder of it all filled Kiyiya and she couldn't contain herself any longer!

Kiyiya darted forward and her siblings followed after, both still wary but soon marvelling at the world of the people who were similar to their odd litter sibling. Both wolves were aware of course that Kiyiya was different but having never met a Man or Hobbit before all the twins could do was recognise their furless sister as being different. This strange fascination with the little people had them worried though that Kiyiya would leave the pack and join the little people.

The little girl pattered through the homeland of the small people admiring their homes and vegetable patches and as she looked she saw the hill that her sister had shown to her all those years ago. Upon this very hill in the light of the rising sun, Kiyiya had seen her first little person and from that point on the little people had become a point of great interest.

Kiyiya scampered through the settlement and nipped over a bridge that crossed a small stream.

_'Kiyiya! Where are we going now? You said you only wanted to look! We shouldn't be here!'_ Kajika growled softly as she ran just behind her sister. Menewa was following but he had to be more careful, one step and he could easily crush one of the little areas outside the dwellings and ruin the flowers and plants there.

Ignoring both brother and sister, Kiyiya run up the pathway until she reached the doorway under the hill. The doorway was round with a green door closed and on one side there was a circular window. Curiosity getting the better of her Kiyiya clambered over the small fence at the front of the garden and landed softly on the pads of her feet.

_'Kiyiya! Come back here right now!'_ Kajika whimpered but her pleas were in vain as Kiyiya moved up the steps towards the home. Before she could get anywhere near the window to peer in and see its inhabitants Menewa stumbled up the hill and his leg went straight through the fence causing the wood to crack, splinter and collapse inwards.

Spinning around Kiyiya regarded the mess with horror and Kajika and Menewa both ran up the pathway to the top of the hill, if there was no culprit perhaps the little people wouldn't notice anything amiss until the morning.

Hearing someone exclaiming inside the home, Kiyiya fled down the steps and was about to vault over the ruined fence when the door opened and light poured down the steps to the exact spot Kiyiya was in.

"What is going on out here? Has someone been at the ale again and forgotten how to walk home?"

Whirling round Kiyiya looked up the steps and saw a female little person at the top of the steps and behind her was a slightly taller male little person.

"I believe mother there is a naked human child in our garden." The male voice sounded bewildered and Kiyiya let out a whimper.

"I do believe you are correct Bilbo. Looks to be a young lass, covered in dirt isn't she. Wonder how she got here." The female came down the steps and Kiyiya instead of fleeing as she had been taught remained where she was, crouched down as low as possible to the ground and whimpered pitifully…******

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**A/N**: There we go first chapter. Please let me know what you think as I always find the first few chapters are the most difficult until the characters and the plot are established!

**Thanks to the following for reviewing**:  
thecrownlessagainshallbeking  
Calemireth  
DragonBlade1000  
Narsilia Stark

Please Review as that really helps me know what you all really think!

Ryua


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